Silent railway-crossing.



C. CLARK.

SILENT RAILWAY CROSSING.

APPLICATION FILED JULY I. 1918.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

Fay/1 WITNESS: I N VEN TOR.

CZazZofiz 5247/ A TTORNEY UNITED STATES PATENDFFICE.

OLAIBORN CLARK, or LOS meal-Es, CALIFORNIA, AssIenon or one-11min TO RICHARD BOTHWELL, or nos anennns, canrronms.

SILENT RAILWAY-CROSSING.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 5, 1918.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CLAIBORN CLARK, a citizen of the United States, residing at Los Angeles in the county of Los Angeles and State oi California, have invented new and useful Improvements in Silent Railway-Crossings, of which the following is a specification.

My object is to make a sllent railway crossing and my invention consists in the novel features herein shown, described and claimed.

Figure 1 is a plan of a silent rallway crossing embodying the principles of my invention, parts of the cover being broken away.

Fig. 2 is an irregular vertical cross-section upon an enlarged scale and on the line 22 of Fi 1.

Fig? 3 is a fragmentary vertical sectional detail on the line 33 of Fig.. 1.

Fig. 4 is a sectional detail on the line 4-4 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary vertical sectional detail on the line 5-5 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary vertical sectlonal detail on the line 6-6 of Fig. 1

The first railway track includes the ra1l portions 1 and 2 at one side of the crosslng, the rail portions 3 and 4 at the other side of the crossing, and the intermediate portions 5 and 6 within the crossing. In a like manner the second railway track includes the rail portions 7 and 8 at one side of the crossing, the rail portions 9 and 10 at the other side of the crossing, and the intermediate portions 11 and 12 within the crossing. All the rail portions are built together to form a pract1cally 1ntegral piece of the two tracks. The portions 1 and 7 form a right-angle and in a like manner the portions 2 and 9, 10 and 4, 3 and 8 form right-angles.

The inner edges 13, 14 and 15 of the portions 1, 5 and 3 are in a straight km to be engaged by the car wheel flanges running on the portions 1, 5 and 3, and the 1nner edges 16, 17 and 18 are in a stralght line to be engaged bythe car wheel flanges running on the portions 2, 6 and 4. In a like manner the inner edges 19, 20 and 21 are engaged by the car wheel flanges running on the portions 7, 11 and 9, and the inner edges 22, 23 and 24 are engaged by the car wheelloflanges running 071 the portions 8, 12 am.

All of the rail portions are built upon or formed integral with a bottom 25. The balls or treads of the rails are elevated fromthe bottom 25 by vertical webs 26.

In Fig. 1 I have shown two tracks of equal width crossing each other at rightangles.

A vertical slot 27 is formed through the treads and webs at an angle of forty-five degrees relative to the edges 17 and 18, and 23 and 24, said slot serving to separate the portions- 12 and 10 from each other and to separate the portions 6 and 4 from each other, and a tread shifting member 28 is slidingly mounted in this slot, said tread shifting member having flange grooves 29 and 30 at right-angles to each other and diagonally across the member, thus forming the shifting tread '31 havingflange edges 32 and 33,- so that when the member 28 is moved one way, as in Fig. 1, the tread portion- 31 crosses the flange groove 34 bringing the flange edge 32 in line with the edges 17 and 18 so as to make a practically continuous tread for a, wheel passing on the first line, and so that when the tread shifting member 28 is moved the other way the tread portion 31 will cross the flange groove 35 and bring the edge 33 in line. with the edges23 and 24 and make a continuous tread for a car wheel passing on the second line.

In a like manner the tread shifting member 36 is mounted in a slot between the portions 5 and 3 and between the portions 8 and 12, and the tread shifting member 37 is mounted in a slot between the portions 1 and 5 and between the portions 7 and 11, and the tread shifting member 38 is mounted in a slot between t e portions 2 and 6 and between the portions 11 and 9.

The tread shifting portions 28, 36, 37 and 38 are arranged in the form of a square, said members being shorter than the length of the sides of the square so as to allow the members to reciprocate to and from each other.

The members 28 and 38 have beveled meeting end faces 39 and 40, the members 28 and 36 have beveled meeting end faces 41. and'42, the members 36 and 37 have beveled meeting end faces 43 and 44, and the members 37 and 38 .have beveled meeting end faces 45 and 46, so that when the first 'line track is open, as in Fig. 1, the faces 39 and 40 and the faces 43 and 44 are-in contact and the faces 41 and 42 and the faces 45 and 46 are separated, and when the second track is open the faces 41 and 42 are in contact and the faces 45 and 46 are in contact, and the faces 39 and 40, and 43 and 44 are open.

The tread shifting member 36 crosses the flange grooves 47 and 48, the tread shlfting member 37 crosses the flange grooves 49 and 50, and the tread shifting member 38 crosses the flange grooves 51 and 52. The tread shifting member 36 has flange rooves 53 and 54, the tread shiftmg mem r 37 has mg member 38 has flange grooves 57 and 58,

thus producing the shifting treads 59, 60 and 61 corresponding to the shifting tread 31. The shifting tread 59 on the tread shifting member 36 has flange edges 62 and 63 registering alternately with the edges 22 and 23, and 14 and 15, and the shiftlng tread 60 on the tread shifting member 37 has flange edges 64 and 65 registering al.- ternately with the edges 13 and 14, and 19 and 20 and the shifting tread 61 on the tread shifting member 38 has flange edges 66 and 67 registering alternately with the edges 20 and 21, and 16 and 17.

The tread shifting members 28, 36,37 and 38 rest upon the bottom 25, as shown in Fig. 5. A retaining block 68 is placed against the inner face of the tread shifting member 28 and secured to the bottom 25 by a cap-screw 69. A tongue 70 extends from the upper part of the block 68 into a groove extending longitudinally from the inner face of the tread shifting member 28 so as to hold the tread shifting member 28 down upon the bottom 25 and allow the member to slide endwise back and forth. In a like manner a retaining block 71 engages the tread shifting member 36, a retaining block 72 engages the tread shifting member 37, and a retaining block 73 engages the tread shifting member 38.

A post 74 extends upwardly from the bot tom 25 at the center of the square formed by the tread shifting members 28, 36, 37 and 38, and a walking beam 75 is mounted hori-v diate portion 5. A vertical bearing exflange grooves 55 and 56, and the tread shiftaaeare buckle link 77 is connected to the free end of the arm 84 by a pivot 85. Links 86 and 87 connect the pivot to the tread shiftmg members 28 and 38.

The actuator 88 is recessed into the port1on 9 from the inner edge 21 and is mounted upon a vertical pivot 89 to swing back and forth across the flan e groove 52. An ear 90 extends from the rec end of the actuator 88 and is connected to the turnbuckle link 83. The face 91 of the actuator 88 is straight and is adapted to line with the edge 21 when engaged by a car Wheel flange and is adapted to cross the flange groove 52 at a slight angle when the other track is open. In a like mannerthe actuator 92 is recessed into the portion 4 and connected to the tread shiftlng members 28 and 36 by a turnbuckle link 92, a lever 93 mounted upon a ivot 94, an admstable arm 95 carried by t e lever 93, and l1nks 96 and 97 connected to the arm 95 by a pivot 95', and the actuator 98 is recessed into the portion 7 and connected to the tread shifting mem' s 36 and 37 by .a turnbuckle link 99, a lever 100 mounted upon a pivot 101, an adjustable arm 102 carr1ed by the lever 100, and links 103 and 104' bers 37 and 38 by a turnbuckle link 107, av

lever 108 mounted upon a pivot 109, an adustable arm 110 connected to the lever 108, and l1nks 111 and 112 connected to the arm 110 by a pivot 113. The turnbuckle link 7 8 is connected to the pivot 105.

The parts may be accurately adjusted by manipu ating the turnbuckles in the links 77 and 78, 83, 92, 99 and 107 and by adjustmg the arms 84, 95, 102 and 110.

Covers 114, 115, 116, 117 and 118 may be removablv mounted in place to cover the working parts and openings may be formed through the bottom 25 to provide for drainage of water and dirt.

It is obvious that the principles of my invention may be a plied to three-rail tracks and to crossings ormed by one track crossing two tracks, or two tracks crossing two tracks.

Thus I have produced a silent railway crossing comprising track intersections having diagonal slots at the points of the inter sections, tread shifting members mounted in the slots and carrying shifting treads adapted upon a rigid to alternately register with the stationary treads, actuators pivotally mounted in position to be engaged by the car Wheel flanges, and connections between the actuators and the tread shifting members.

Various changes may be made without departing from the spirit of my invention as claimed.

I claim:

1. In a silent railway crossing wheel treads shiftable in diagonal slots at the rail crossings, links connected to the wheel treads and connected together, an adjustable arm connected to the connected ends of the links, a lever to which the arm is adjustably connected, the lever being mounted pivot at one end, a turn buckle link connected to the other end of the lever, and an actuator mounted at the opposite side of the track from the rigid pivot and connected to the turn buckle link, the

actuator being pivotally mounted to be operated by the car wheel flanges.

2. In a silent railway crossing the combination with two cross tracks of wheel treads shiftable in diagonal slots at the rail crossings, four shifting mechanisms, one at each of the four sides of the crossing, each shifting mechanism comprising links connected to the wheel treads and connected together, an adjustable arm connected to the connected ends of the links, a lever to which the arm is adjustably connected, the lever being mounted upon a rigid pivot at one end, a turn buckle link connected to the other end of the lever, and an actuator mounted at the opposite side of the track from the rigid pivot and c operated by the car wheel flanges, a walking beam pivotally mounted horizontally at the center of the crossing and turn buckle links connecting the ends of the walking beam to the connected ends of two pairs of links, said links being in a line at right angles to the line of the walking beam.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

CLAIBORN CLARK.

onnected to the turn buckle link,- the actuator being pivotally mounted to be 

